Virginia has been transforming in many ways over the last few decades, and that's most clear when it comes to government and tech. From defense contractors to Amazon's new headquarters to thousands of data centers, Virginia has slowly but surely shifted toward an economy based in technology and defense. In this episode, we talk to Richmond-based journalist Peter Galuszka about how Virginia's economy ties in with energy and technology--and how these trends will change the state going forward.

Suddenly, and seemingly out of the blue, legal weed in Virginia seems like it could be a real thing in the not-too-distant future.

But legalization won’t be as easy as flipping a light switch. Virginia (and the nation) have a long history of racially disparate enforcement of marijuana laws... So now we have historical inequities and loads of other questions to deal with as we consider new legislation.

As we step away from national politics and the presidential election, it's worth looking at other referendums and ballot initiatives that passed on a state and local level. In their most recent election, Bristol, Danville, Norfolk, and Portsmouth approved casinos entering their cities in landslide votes. What might an influx of casinos mean for Virginia's economy? To find out, we sat down with Ryan Murphy, a reporter at the Virginian-Pilot, and James V. Koch, an economist and former president of the Board of Visitors of Old Dominion University.

Election Day has come and gone, but the election process still continues. And while it looks like Joe Biden has the presidential election mostly secured in an election that bucked the polls, a whole host of state and local races in Virginia were also on the ballot, as well as a state Constitutional amendment for redistricting reform.

After two long months of socially distanced and Zoom-based negotiations, the Virginia General Assembly has finally finished its 2020 Special Session -- called to deal with police reform and Covid-related changes to the state budget.

This week, we're joined by state Delegate Sally Hudson. She walks us through some coming changes to criminal justice, the state's strategy for economic recovery, and how Virginia could improve our approach to both, going forward.

With gun sales up, violence in the streets, and an overwhelming majority of the nation thinking that we're heading down the wrong track, it's no secret that America is in a troubled place right now. That isn't helped by the actions of President Trump, who has suggested that he wouldn't accept the results of the upcoming election if he lost, encouraged supporters to watch polling places, and refused to denounce white supremacists on live television.

A proposed Amendment to the Virginia State Constitution seeks to create a bipartisan commission to end the process of gerrymandering--politicians drawing districts to suit their own interests--in Virginia. That's important, because next year, Virginia will be holding its state elections based on those districts. But does the amendment go far enough?

Two different Virginias that live side-by-side. On one side, white-collar workers who have adjusted to the pandemic with Zoom meetings and social distancing; on the other, blue-collar workers who have faced losses of their jobs, healthcare, housing, and economic stability in a global pandemic. This week, we spoke with journalist Peter Galuszka about the growing divide in Virginia's economy, and UVA Professor James Harrigan about the trends that have heightened economic inequality for the last forty years.

Virginia's General Assembly convened on August 18 for a special session, originally dedicated to balancing the state budget in the face of COVID-19. Now following nationwide protests, the special session also promises to tackle criminal justice reform. This week, in a special crossover episode the Transition Virginia podcast, we talk to hosts Michael Pope and Thomas Bowman about the first week of the special session.

For five months, we've known that to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, we need to stay at home. But how can Virginians stay at home if those homes are taken away? With no end to the crisis in sight, thousands of Virginia citizens are facing evictions from their homes. What can lawmakers do about the crisis, and why are Virginia tenants so uniquely vulnerable?

VIrginia has next to no campaign finance regulations—a result of an attitude known as “The Virginia Way” that’s pervaded the state for centuries. This week, Delegate Sally Hudson and author Jeff Thomas walk us through the influence of money on Virginia politics and the way things might be changing for the better.

For the last six years, Dominion Energy has been working to build a natural gas pipeline from West Virginia to Hampton Roads. But just a few weeks after winning a Supreme Court case to regain permits for the project, the pipeline was cancelled--leaving Dominion is out more than three billion dollars already spent. This week, we sat down with Richmond-based journalist Peter Galuszka and New York Times Renewable Energy Correspondent Ivan Penn to understand why Dominion pulled the plug--and what it might mean for the future of energy in Virginia.

Over the last decade, social media has played an increasingly important role in our political discourse. This week, we continue our conversation with UVA Media Studies Professor Siva Vaidyanathan to discuss why social media platforms don’t bear the same liability for content as other publishers—namely, Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act. After that, journalist Brad Kutner takes us into a defamation suit in Virginia involving Congressman Devin Nunes and a Twitter account for a fake cow.

It’s been a tumultuous month across the country and across the world—that’s no secret. Today, we’re talking to Chelsea Higgs Wise, a longtime activist in the Richmond community, about recent protests in the state capital; Black Lives Matter, the removal of the Robert E. Lee statue, and the work that still needs to be done to achieve equality in Virginia. After that, UVA Professor Siva Vaidyanathan discusses the way that social media alters—and damages—our political discourse.

Both Virginia's 7th and 2nd U.S. House districts voted for Trump in 2016. But then two years later, they flipped in the midterm elections. Democrats Abigail Spanberger in the 7th and Elaine Luria in the 2nd both won by razor thin margins. This fall, these first-term lawmakers will face their yet-to-be-determined Republican challengers.

We’re looking at Virginia’s 5th Congressional District, a huge, gerrymandered region that stretches from the North Carolina border to the Washington, DC exurbs. Freshman lawmaker Denver Riggleman is the Republican incumbent. But he’s facing a challenge from far right candidate Bob Good. And all this is happening amidst a global pandemic.

Work hasn’t stopped for people working in essential industries – health care, of course. But also grocery stores, fire and police services, construction, buses, meat packing, and more. That doesn’t mean the work is always safe. Around the country, there have been more than 150 labor actions, including several here in Virginia

The General Assembly has arrived back in Richmond for a highly unusual special session. The task at hand: figure out Virginia’s state budget during this pandemic related economic seizure. Also: sort out the bills that Governor Ralph Northam sent back for revisions. What now for Virginia's budget and minimum wage hikes?

The economy has run full speed into a brick wall. And that wall is called COVID-19. We’re still in a public health crisis that has yet to peak, and this pandemic has created an immediate economic crisis no matter how you slice it. What makes this economic crisis unlike ones that’ve come before?

As has been widely reported, the outbreak of COVID-19 is causing a serious pubic health emergency. Alongside this public health crisis is an economic crisis. Even for all of us who haven’t gotten sick… yet… the pandemic is still upending our lives.